Cooker.



E. M. BURR.

oooKBR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.26, 1908.

Patented May 11, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. 0 A//omey E. M. BURR.

` GooKER.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 26, 1908. 921,509.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

lg 0 o ol .wrr WTNESSES NVENTOR C /Qw j? mm@ Patented May 11, 1909.

E. M. BURR..

GOOKBB.

APPLICATION FILED 11110.26, 190s.

Patented May 11, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

/Nl/ENTOR @awww f mv. @NIN vn 1 I um. Nm. mm. c A vm. m m.\\\m w\ o o W. m 1Q o M 5% A w, 1 a a MINI FQ novel and effective means for preventing the ELLIS M. BURR, OF CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.

COOKER.

Specification of* Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909.

Application led December 26, 1908. Serial No. 469,465.

i To all whom 'it may concern:

Beit known-that I, ELLIS M. BURR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Champaign, inthe county of Champaign and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cookers, of which the following is a specification.

- 3 The present invention relates to apparatus for cooking` canned goods, and more particularly the type in which the cans are.

passed through the cooker and are subjected to steam under pressure.

One of the primary objects of the'present invention is to rovid'e feeding means for the cans, which wil properly deliver the same to the cooking apparatus and avoid entirely the danger of injury to the cans and strain upon and breakage of the feeding mechanism.

A further and important object is to provide means for effecting an intermittent step by step movement of the cans through the apparatus, said means also insuring the rolling' action of the cans in order that all portions thereof may be properly heated.

Still another object is to provide simple,

" escape of the steam from the feeding means into the room in which the apparatus is placed.

The preferred form of construction is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, portions thereof being broken away.-

Fig. A2 1s a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 'is an end view. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view onthe line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig.Y 5 is a cross sectional view on the line 1--4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 .is a side elevation of said apparatus complete. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view on anenlarged scale of the can-controlling mechanism. Fig. 1a is a side elevation of the opposite side of-the apparatus from that shown in Fig. 1, portions thereof being broken away.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs.

In the embodiment disclosed, a cooking container 9 is employed, preferably in the form of a cylinder having a removable rear head 10 and a front head 11 that includes a boxing 12. Upon this boxing is mounted an upper valve casing 13 having a lower port 14 communicating with the interior olI the boxing and an upper port 15 opening ex'- teriorly of the container. In the casing 13 is journaled a rotary feed valve 16 having a plurality of can-receiving pockets 17 thatl successively register with the ports ,14 and 15. An exhaust vent 18 communicates with the casing 13 between the ports, and a pipe 19 leads therefrom to an suitable point, preferably outside the bui ding. It will be evident that the pockets 17 move into and out of communica-tion with this exhaust pipe.

The cans to be passed through the appa.- ratus are delivered to the valve 16 down any suitable track or runway 20, over the lower portion of which is arranged a rotary cancontrolling member having outstanding blades 21. In practice it has been found that these blades instead of always embracing or moving on opposite sides of the can,

wi lsometimes strike directly upon the upper sides of the said cans, and consequently crush and bend them. In order to prevent this, a stop finger 22 is employed, pivoted in rear of the rotary member, as shown at 23, and having a downturned f-'ree end 24 that moves into and out of engagement with the cans. This iin errests upon and is moved up and down y the blades 21, as will be obvious by reference to Figs. 6 and 8.

Arranged longitudinally within the cylindrical container 9 is a frame 25, which, as shown more particularly vin Fig. 4, includes a series of s aced eye beams 26, the webs 27 of the eye earnsl constituting artitions between which the cans run. e lower webs 2*, 8 form supporting rails for the cans, whilc the upper webs 29 inlike manner constitute This particular feature of the ..f

guide rails. invention is important, not only because of the sim licity of the structure, but also because t e cans must move freely therethrough, and cannot readily become jammedl within the cooker. The tracks are continucd, as shown 'at 30, and are upturned below the inlet -port 14. in order to insure thc guiding of said cans properly into the structure. In order to move the cans through thc conbars 34, on

' Wheel 53 tothe va ve.

tainer, endless chains or conveyors 31 are employed that operate around sprocket wheels 32 carried by shafts 33, one of these shafts being journaled in the head 12, as shown in Fig. 6. The chains are provided with cross which are mounted outstanding fingers 34a that o erate between the various sets of rails, as W1 l be obvious. It will thus be evident that if the conveyer is operated, the cans delivered by the upper valve, will be carried through the container, and will be de- Y livered to a discharge port 35 formed in the bottom of the head box 12. This port communicates with a valve casing 36 having a lower delivery port 37, and in the casing 36 operates a rotary valve 38 having can-receiving pockets 39. A vent pipe 40 communicates with the casing.

In order to operate the various mechanismsabove described, a drive shaft 41 is suitably mounted on the container 9, and hasAa sprocket wheel 42 around which asses a sprocket chain 43 that also passes a out another sprocket wheel 44 that is carried by a shaft 45. The wheel 44 has a crank 46 that has a link or pitman connection 47 with a lever 48 journaled u on the gudgeon of the lower valve. This ever is provided with a pawl 49 that operates on a ratchet wheel 50 secured to the gudgeon. tween the axis of the shaft 45 and the crank 46 is less than the length ofthe lever 48. Consequently while said crank 46 revolves, the lever 48 has an oscillatory movement. The lower valve therefore is given an intermittent or step1 by step movement. This valve has on t e end o posite the ratchet wheel 50 a sprocket wheel 51 beltedas shown at 52 to a similar sprocket wheel 53 loosely journaled on the shaft of the uppervalve. A clutch "53a is em loyed to connect the ConsequentlyT the two valves may be moved simultaneously, or the upper valve may be stopped, while the remainder of the a paratus can be continued in operation, in or er that the cans contained therein may all be delivered from the cooker. The upper valve is furthermore geared, as shown at 54 to the rotary can-controlling member 21. The conveyer 31 is also given an intermittent or step by step movement, and to this end, the shaft 33 is projected from the boX 12, and has a ratchet wheel 55 that is operated u on by a pawl 56 mounted on a lever 57. his lever has a itman connection 58 with a crank 59 carrie by the shaft 45.

The cans delivered by the lower valve 38 are directed by a plate 60 into one end of a cooling trough 61, and an endless conveyer 62, operating throu h the trough, carries the same therefrom. he heating medium is supplied to the container by a pipe 63 having branches 64 that communicate with the upper side of said container, and the exhaust The distance beand water of condensation is carried oli' through branches 65 connected to the lower side of the container and to a pipe 66. With this structure, it will be obvious that there is4 no danger of the cans crowding,- and consecllxiliently becoming stuck in the apparatus.

asmuch as the can-receiving pockets of the valves hold the steam under pressure, such steam can readily escape through the vents 19 and 40 so that the pressure is reduced and 1 the escape of the steam into the room is prevented. In this structure moreover, the cans are rolled entirely through the cooker so that all sides are treated equally. The step by step -movement given to the various devices insures their most eective action.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, 'operation and many advantages of the herein described inventionl will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape,

'proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention', what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a track or runway for the cans, of can-controlling means therefor including a rotary can-en aging member, and a stop finger operated y the member and movable into and out of engagement with the,

cans.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the

combination with a track or runway for the cans,'of can-controlling means therefor including a rotary member having can-engaging blades, and a stop finger operated by said blades and movable into and out of engagement with the cans prior to the engagement of said blades with the cans.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a track or runway for the cans, of controlling means for said cans including a rotary member having outstanding blades, and a swinging stop finger pivoted in rear of the member and resting u on the blades, said nger being oscillate by the blades and moving into and out of engagement with the cans.

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a container, of a rotary can feeding valve having can-receiving pockets, a track or runway deliverin cans to the pockets, a rotary can-contro member arranged over the track or runway, and a stop nger operated by the member and `moved thereby into and out of engagement with the cans.

5. In apparatus ofthe class described, the combination with a cooking container, of a rotary feed valve mounted-thereon and havmovement of the blades, said linger moving ing can-receiving pockets, a track or runway into and out of engagement with the cans. 10 for delivering cans to the pockets, a rotary In testimony whereof I affix my signature ontrolling member arranged over the track in presence of two witnesses.

or runwa and having a plurality of out- ELLIS M. BURR. standing lades that engage the cans, and a Witnesses: stop nger pivoted in rear of the member and C. A. TUF'rs,

extending over the same into the path of GEO. E. MARTIN. y 

